BAHAWALPUR: A replica of the ancient steamer, called the Indus Queen, has been installed on the premises of the Noor Mahal and it is open to public for visit at night thrice a week in accordance with the announced schedule by the Cantonment Board Bahawalpur.

The installation was unveiled in an event that was participated by District Police Officer Abadit Nisar and others.

According to information given on the first floor of the replica, the Indus Queen was built in 1867 by Thomas Reid and Sons in the port city of Paisley, Scotland. It was commissioned by Nawab of Bahawalpur Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi-IV and was used for transportation of the royal family when the river Sutlej was alive and flowed near the city. Initially, it was named as the Sutlej Queen with reference to the river Sutlej.

The three-storey ship had separate male and female sections and could accommodate 400 guests. However, after the Partition of India in 1947 and signing of the Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India during the regime of Gen Ayub Khan, the river Sutlej started drying up due to water shortage, Nawab Sadiq Abbasi-V shifted the steamer to the river Indus and renamed it the Indus Queen.

The Nawab gifted the ship to the devotees of Sufi poet Khawaja Ghulam Farid of Koth Mithan Sharif for their transportation from Kot Mithan to Chachran Sharif in Rahim Yar Khan.

After the construction of Ghazi Ghat bridge, the Indus Queen was docked. Presently, it is in a ruined condition at Mithan Kot in the Rajanpur district.

CBB Executive Officer Rana Ramiz Shafqat told Dawn the replica was inaugurated by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa during his last visit to Bahawalpur. After its launch, the replica was opened for the general public only for three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) a week.

The palace’s caretakers also hold light and sound shows in the evening. The replica has a restaurant on its first floor where the visitors can enjoy food. Its roof is also used by the select visitors to have a view of the palace and the surroundings.

Regarding preservation of wreckage of the Indus Queen rusting at Mithan Kot, South Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Saqib Zafar told Dawn a proposal was being examined to shift the Indus Queen to Bahawalpur and exhibit it for the public after its rehabilitation. He said the matter was being given importance with a view to make availability of necessary funds for this purpose.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2022